The democratic man's interest for the general ideas under the lights of Alexis de Tocqueville's thought

Abstract

This article seeks to understand an aspect of the condition of the homo democraticus presented by Alexis de Tocqueville in The Democracy of America - Book II. Specifically, we want to grasp the democratic paradox regarding the fact that democratic men seek independence of thought, but live in a constant non-thinking condition. The author argues that these men adhere without question to general ideas, for they dispense them from studying particular cases, and these men are more concerned with material well-being than with thoughtful activities. Tocqueville presents the democratic man’s interest in general ideas and affirms that there are two important consequences for the democratic social state: the possibility of a new form of modern servitude and the construction of a mass society.